Command Failure in War: Psychology and Leadership

A psycho-historical approach to understanding decision making in war Sheds light on the behaviours of commanders during war Includes Douglas Haig and the British command during the First World War, Bomber Harris and the Strategic Bombing of Germany, and Stalingrad Why do military commanders, most of them usually quite capable, fail at crucial moments of their careers? Robert Pols and Philip Langer - one a historian, the other an educational psychologist -study seven cases of military command failures, from Frederick the Great at Kunersdorf to Hitler’s invasion of Russia. While the authors recognize the value of psychological theorizing, they do not believe that one method can cover all the individuals, battles, or campaigns under examination. Instead, they judiciously take a number of psycho-historical approaches in hope of shedding light on the behaviours of commanders during war. The other battles and commanders studied here are Napoleon in Russia, George B. McClellan’s Peninsular Campaign, Robert E. Lee and Pickett’s Charge at Gettysburg, John Bell Hood at the Battle of Franklin, Douglas Haig and the British command during World War I, Bomber Harris and the Strategic Bombing of Germany, and Stalingrad.